The Hunter's Moon
by Ali Wenstern
Summary: Cathie is taken off the streets by strange hunters from another planet. She meets Rick and a girl named Ali who holds a dark secret. But Ali isn't the only one with a secret, and Cathie will do everything to keep her secret from being revealed.
1. Chapter 1

The night air blew briskly, sucking the heat from Cathie's body and forcing her to quicken her pace. That was the second thing she did that night that was absolutely stupid. The first was that she had left the house in only short shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of October. The other had been leaving in the middle of the night. She glanced over her shoulder again. She was risking everything, coming out of hiding like this, but she couldn't wait any longer. Another shiver ran down her spine and she got the feeling of something lurking in the shadows, watching her. She tried to force those thoughts from her mind, they were only scaring her more.

"Calm down," Cathie told myself, "Don't freak out."

A sharp snap sounded behind her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Spinning around quickly, Cathie peered into the darkness. It must have been a stray dog or something like that, she told herself as the night once again went silent. She turned around and started walking again, forcing herself to dismiss whatever slight sounds she was hearing as paranoia. But she stopped once again, this time, the sounds are definitely footsteps.

"Hey baby," an oily voice drawled.

A shudder passed down Cathie's spine. She could feel the man's front pressing up against her back, his breath was hot on her neck and she could smell the alcohol and stink on his body.

"You look a little chilly, let me warm you up."

The filthy man tried to put a grimy hand on her shoulder, but she swatted it away and took off. The man laughed, giving chase, this was obviously fun for him. Unfortunately for Cathie, it had been several days since she last ate so she was not as able-bodied as usual and she realized with dread that the man would catch her. Sure enough, his arms suddenly wrapped around her waist as he yanked her off her feet. She struggled, but his other hand grabbed her hands, holding them in a crushing grip. He buried his nose into her hair and breathed in deeply.

"You smell sweet," he drawled, "like roses."

Upping her struggling, Cathie kicked and flailed, trying to make it as difficult for him as possible, but he had obviously had plenty of experience dealing with struggling girls, because he moved with little effort. Panic encircled Cathie when she realized that he was dragging her toward a dark alley.

"Let go! Help! Someone help me!" Cathie screamed.

"Scream all you want! No one is going to come to your rescue!"

Cathie knew he was right, there was hardly anyone out at this time of night and they were in an abandoned area, but that didn't diminish her screams or struggles. They were well into the dark alley before the man released her just enough to slam her into the gritty wall. The wall dug into her back and she could feel the blood starting to trickle down her back. The man smiled, flashing disgusting, rotting teeth. Repulsed, Cathie heightened her struggles as the man pressed his lips over hers, crushing into them. She gasped in pain, which turned out to be a mistake as the man forced his tongue into her mouth, exploring. She could feel the bile rising and she didn't try hold it back; it would be satisfying if she threw up in his mouth! Suddenly, the man was ripped away from her. He disappeared, kicking and screaming, into the shadows. There was another horrified scream and then a sickening crunching sound. Blood sprayed out of the shadow like a grisly firework display. Cathie's eyes widened at the sight of the blood and she sank to the ground, now willingly pressing her back against the wall. There was movement from within the shadow and something glinted as it caught the light. Her mouth opened and she started screaming.

Something landed next to Cathie and a hand as cold as ice covered her mouth, silencing her.

"Shh," a soft voice soothed, "You are safe now."

The voice was definitely a woman's, perhaps even a young girl's. Cathie struggled to catch a glimpse, but the hand kept her face away from her rescuer's.

"You cannot see my face," the girl said.

Yet Cathie still tried to look. A bone-rattling hiss came from the shadow and something moved again. This time, it moved closer to the light and Cathie could see that the light was reflecting off its smooth head. Her eyes widened as she watched the creature, even though she couldn't see much more of it. The hand that was covering her mouth disappeared and she heard the sound of rustling. When she turned to look, there was no one there.

* * *

Na'sval cocked his head to the side as he scanned the area around him. His data scanners told him that the area around him was empty, so he moved on, painfully aware of the eyes of the observing Elder following him closely. He was lucky to be getting a second chance after what he had done. Ever since he had allowed the girl with the _kainde amedha _blood to escape, he had been looked on as an Outcast by his clan. The others looked at him with distrust and, sometimes, even betrayal. They said he was as soft as his _pyode amedha _allies. Ali, the only one of her kind, had been captured by his crew and he had saw fit to release her in order to protect her, which was why he was here tonight; to set things right.

"Have you found anything yet?" The Elder asked in a stern voice.

Na'sval shook his head.

The Elder growled. "Search harder, I don't like having to babysit for you."

Na'sval didn't reply. His clan was certainly making sure he never forgot his betrayal. He wondered if recapturing the girl would fix things with his clan, but then he thought better of it; if he captured Ali, she would be exposed to experimentation and she would most likely be taken to the gaming field. He would never want something like that on someone like her.

As if the Elder knew what he was thinking, he said, "It's unfortunate those copies didn't last long. If only you could capture that child again."

Na'sval didn't have to answer as his scanner started to beep. He dialed up the thermal readings and picked up the image of someone heading towards them.

"Here comes one now," he said.

"Good," the Elder replied.

* * *

Cathie came to a stop and hunched over, putting her hands on her knees. She hadn't stopped running since she had left the alleyway for two reasons. One was that she had to get away from the stench of blood, the other was because she had been hoping she could chase down her rescuer, but the girl was nowhere to be found.

_Snap!_

Cathie's head shot up and she looked around, her ears straining to pick up some kind of sound.

"Not again," she found herself mumbling. Two attempted rapes in the same night just seemed like too much to deal with.

Suddenly, something fast whizzed past her face, coming within inches. There was a small explosion a second later and Cathie looked up to see a sharp-edged disk embedded into the building next to her. She looked to the right where the object had come from and what she saw caused a strangled scream to burst out of her mouth.

The creature took slow steps toward her. Its face was obscured by a strange mask, yet she could tell that it was staring directly at her. Its hand curled into a fist in preparation as it moved closer, two blades sticking out from a device on its wrist. Fear took over then, giving her the strength to turn around and run. There was an alleyway directly behind her and she made her way there. She didn't want to know if it was following her, but she couldn't help it. Glancing over her shoulder, Cathie found it walking slowly after her, obviously in no hurry. The alley turned sharply and she followed the turn, skidding as she took the turn too quickly. A second later, she found out why it was taking its time; the alley was a dead end.

Cathie spun around quickly and found the way out cut off by the creature, but this time, it was not alone. Another stood directly behind it, dressed in a similar outfit, but with longer blades attached to its wrist. She dropped to the ground, tears pouring down her cheeks in fear. The creatures came closer and one of them pulled out a similar looking boomerang to the one before. Shuddering, she squeezed my eyes shut in anticipation.

"No," she whispered.

When Cathie risked peeking she almost screamed; they had gotten closer. Her breath quickened and she knew if she didn't calm down she would begin hyperventilating. Growing lightheaded, she looked up to see that the creatures had stopped advancing and were staring at me. A second later, however, Cathie blacked out.

* * *

Na'sval crouched down and studied the young pyode amedha on the ground in front of him. Her quickened breathing was quite common for victims when they first encounter a Yautja, as was the reaction of losing consciousness.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get her and let's go!" the Elder demanded impatiently from behind Na'sval.

Na'sval wanted to turn and growl at the Elder, but he knew that wouldn't do him any good, so he obeyed and picked the girl up in his arms, throwing her over his shoulder.

"I'm ready," he said.

"Good, take her back to the ship, we'll be leaving soon," the Elder was saying as he grabbed his combi stick.

"Where are you going?" Na'sval asked.

"I have a little business of my own to take care of before we depart," the Elder said, "go ahead without me."

Na'sval thought about what the Elder could be planning as he moved from roof top to roof top toward the area where their scout ship had been hidden. The possibility that the Elder was going to hunt a trophy before they left didn't seem likely; he wouldn't have waited that long before leaving to do so, especially not when they were only going on a collecting mission. So what could the Elder be doing? He growled in irritation; he hated being treated this way, like an un-Blooded.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Cathie noticed when she regained consciousness was the dry air. She opened her eyes slowly to find herself in an alien-like cell. Sitting up and rubbing her head, she tried to remember what had happened before she passed out. An image of the two creatures popped into her head and she gasped. Where did they go? Were they the ones who took her? Where was she, anyway?

"About time you woke up," a voice said.

The voice sounded familiar and Cathie spun around to find a young girl standing off in the back corner of the cell. The low lightening of the cell made it difficult to make out most of the girl's appearance, however it didn't help that she had positioned herself in the shadows so that most of her upper body just a dark outline.

"You're the girl from before, aren't you? You were the one who saved me."

The girl didn't answer, but took two steps forward, coming out of the shadows. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing all black. Her black hair came down just past her shoulders. Cathie looked into her eyes and was absolutely shocked; her irises were the darkest blue Cathie had ever seen, so dark they almost looked black. She definitely wasn't a normal girl, that much was obvious, but what was it making her different? A couple minutes of silence went by before Cathie begin to feel uncomfortable under the girl's piercing gaze.

"Did you save me?" she asked again.

The girl gave a single nod.

"What's your name?"

"Ali," the girl replied.

"Cathie," Cathie said in return.

Ali cocked her head to the side and regarded her curiously. Cathie shrank under her gaze. "What a coincidence," Ali whispered.

"What do you mean?" Cathie asked, shaking.

"I saved a Cathie before and I saved you tonight. How often do you think that would happen?"

"You save people?"

"Yes."

"What happened to the other Cathie?"

"She was killed a long time ago."

"Oh," Cathie replied, not letting the fact that Ali said 'killed' escape her notice.

"Do you know what's going on?"

Cathie scanned her surroundings again, but she was just as confused as before. "No, I was hoping you would."

Ali walked past Cathie to the front of the cell. She grasped the bars tightly and spoke, "You're on a Yautja ship, most likely in route to their home planet."

"What's a Yautja?"

"A predatory alien race that hunt other species for sport."

"And what am I doing here?"

"Good question," Ali replied, spinning around to face at Cathie again, "Because as far as I can tell, there's nothing special about you."

Cathie grew uncomfortable as Ali stayed fixated on her, fearful that she would discover her secret. But before Ali can question Cathie further, her head spun to the front of the cage and she growled.

"Na'sval!"

Before Cathie could ask who Na'sval was, one of the creatures that had captured her came around the corner and moved toward the cell. Ali hissed and the creature stoped, regarding Ali carefully before stepping closer.

"Ali," it said.

"Wait, they can speak English?" Cathie asked.

"No," Ali answered, "Just Na'sval."

"What are you doing here?" Na'sval asked Ali.

"You mean you didn't know?" Ali snapped back, "I could have sworn you were in on it; how else would they know about me?"

"I had nothing to do with your capture," Na'sval answered.

"Yeah right," Ali said, "So how did they find me?"

"It must have been the Elder that had come to observe me."

"Elder?"

"I was marked as an Outsider after helping you escape and wasn't trusted among my people anymore."

"So the Elder thought it would be fun to capture me and take me to your godforsaken planet?"

"Yes," Na'sval answered, but Cathie noticed that he hesitated.

Clearly uncomfortable, Na'sval muttered something under his breath in a harsh language that Cathie didn't understand and walked away. Ali growled and moved away from the front of the cage.

"Um," Cathie started nervously, not wanting to be left in silence, "Tell me more about yourself. How do you know Na'sval, or whatever his name is?"

Ali didn't look at Cathie when she spoke. "I knew him because he helped me escape the last time."

"The last time?" Cathie asked.

"They've tried to capture me before," Ali explained, "I didn't think they'd be coming after me again, otherwise I wouldn't have been so careless."

"Why do they want you?" Cathie wanted to know.

"I'm pretty valuable to them," Ali stated, "I make the ultimate hunt."

"And what does that mean?"

"I don't think you want to know," Ali said and even though her back is to Cathie, she could tell that she was smiling.

"Why not?"

"Because it would be too much for your sensitive mind."

"What makes you think I have a sensitive mind?" Cathie demanded, angry.

Ali only shrugged. "Well then how about this, I will tell you about me, if you tell me about you."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cathie said, growing uneasy.

"I think you do."

Nervous, Cathie only said, "I guess I will just respect your privacy."

Ali looked at Cathie over her shoulder. "And I'll respect yours, for now."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Cathie insisted, but she couldn't make eye contact.

However, out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Ali was grinning.


	3. Chapter 3

Cathie was painfully aware of the tight grip of the Yautja holding her so she didn't struggle as she was led down the ramp of their ship. Ali, on the other hand, was being dragged by two Yautja, struggling and kicking ferociously. They were taken to a small building close to the ship's landing point where they were led down a long hallway full of cells. The Yautja stopped outside two empty cells and tossed each girl into separate cells with Ali in the cell to the right of Cathie's. The moment Ali was thrown into the cell, she was at the door in a heartbeat, her hands reaching out with inhuman speed as she attempted to claw the Yautja closest to her. But the Yautja needed only to take one step backwards in order to stay out of reach from Ali's thrashing fingers. It was only then that Cathie noticed Ali had long, black and sharp nails.

"Welcome to your new home," the man in the cell to the left of Cathie said as the Yautja disappeared down the rows. "I'm Rick."

"My name's Cathie and this is Ali," Cathie said, "Where are we?"

Cathie looked the man up and down as he moved closer to their shared wall of bars. His head was shaven, exposing the slightly pink colored skin, but Cathie could see that his hair color was very light. His dull red eyes meet hers and it took her by surprise to discover that he was albino. His clothing was matted and dirty, torn in multiple places. Long scars covered his arms and legs.

"This is a gaming facility," Rick answered, his voice scratchy, yet gentle.

"What does that mean?"

"This is where the different species are kept so that Yautja can hunt them without having to leave the comforts of their home planet."

"What does that mean for the ones in the cage?"

"You'll be released onto the gaming field, which is basically a large reserve of land with trees, a mountain, rivers, and plains to allow the Yautja to enjoy hunting us. They usually track you for the first couple of days and then they start hunting, the longer you last, the more fun it is for them—"

"I bet there's something special about you that makes you fun to hunt," Ali interrupted.

Looking over her shoulder, Cathie saw that Ali had moved close to the bars, her intense gaze not on Rick, but on Cathie.

"I was an assassin for hire for eighteen years before I was snatched."

"That'll do it," Ali said, "What about you, Cathie, what makes you special?"

Swallowing, Cathie tore her gaze away from Ali, unable to answer her.

"What about you?" Rick retorted back, "What makes _you_ special?"

"I'm pretty sure it's because I'm valuable to them and that I make the ultimate hunt," Ali answered, saying the exact thing she had told Cathie on the ship.

Cathie risked a peek at Ali and saw that she was now staring Rick down, and smiling.

"That's impossible," Rick said, "The Hard Meats are the greatest hunt for Yautja. Besides, you just got here, how'd you know if you make a good hunt?"

"So, that's what they're calling them? 'Hard Meats'?" Ali questioned.

"Yeah, they call them that because they've got a thick exoskeleton. They're pretty creepy too; they don't have any eyes, I think, so you don't know if they're looking at you or not—"

"I know what they look like," Ali interrupted, "They're my family."

"Your what?" Rick almost screamed, his eyes widening in shock.

"Yeah, I know, shocker right," Ali said, "I told you I'm very valuable; I'm part alien."

"But how is that possible?" Rick said, "How can that be?"

"Long story," Ali said, "My mother was impregnated while pregnant with me and I was born instead."

"Are you dangerous?" Cathie asked.

To her surprise, Ali tilted her head back and burst out laughing. "It depends on who you are. You are not in any danger, but Na'sval and any other kind of misguided soul are in a lot of danger."

"What do you have against Na'sval?" Rick asked, "He's always been nice to me."

"He brought me here," Ali said, "He knew where I was and took me back, even though he had helped me in the past."

"And what do you mean by 'misguided souls'?" Cathie ventured.

"People who hurt others for fun or take advantage of people weaker than them," Ali said, "Basically, I protect the innocent."

"Why?"

"To make up for being a monster," Ali answered.

Before Cathie could ask her why she thought of herself as a monster, Ali's head shot up and she went rigid. "Na'sval," she growled.

She bolted to the front of her cell and Cathie was again shocked at how fast she moved. A second later Na'sval walked into the room. He walked past Cathie's cell and stopped in front of Ali's. It was hard to tell, because of his mask, but he looked uncomfortable. Ali glared back up at him, her hands clenched into fists.

"So," Ali said , "How long are they going to wait before they start hunting me? By the way, how'd those samples hold up?"

"We were unable to sustain them," Na'sval said.

"Well here," Ali said, exposing the underside of her arm to Na'sval, "Take all the damn samples you want!"

"You don't understanding, I never wanted you to come back here," Na'sval said, a desperate note in his voice, "But I can't do anything because I have no status."

"But now that I'm stuck in a cell, I guess things are going to turn around for you."

"Yes, but don't think you'll find help in me anymore; I already risked everything for you once, I will never do it again."

"Good," Ali replied, "That'll make it easier for me to kill you."

Na'sval growled, mumbling under his breath again before turning and making to storm away.

"Wait!" Ali demanded.

Na'sval paused. Ali glanced over at Cathie who felt her insides grow cold with dread. Ali was up to something.

"What is she?" Ali asked.

Na'sval glanced toward Cathie. He hesitated then said, "Thwei Kv'var-de," before storming away.

Once he was gone Cathie turned back to Rick only to find him staring at her with an odd look on his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Na'sval had been teaching me a little of the Yautja's language," Rick answered.

Cathie's blood ran cold. The look in Rick's eyes made sense now, he knew what she was. Hoping Ali couldn't see, or didn't notice, Cathie gave him a small gesture, silently begging him to not tell. Rick shook his head, as if to clear it, but he didn't say anything.

"What are the other Yautja like?" Ali asked, giving no indication that she knew what had just happened.

"Pretty ruthless."

Cathie's eyes moved over the scars on Rick's body. They were some of the nastiest scars she had ever seen. "Is that where you got those?"

Rick looked down and ran a finger over one of the scars. "Yeah."

Looking up, Cathie saw that Ali had moved from the front of the cell to the bars that divided her cell from Cathie's. Her hands gripped the bars tightly, her knuckles turning white, she was still furious.

"Ali, why don't you sit down?" Cathie asked.

Ali's head snapped down to where Cathie was kneeling and she shrank under her harsh gaze. "Don't tell me what to do!"

"Sorry," Cathie murmured, freaking out.

"Give the girl a break," Rick defended Cathie, "She was just trying to help."

Ali released the bars and sat down, her eyes moving over to Cathie. Cathie quickly looked away. "I'm sorry." Cathie glanced back in surprise. "I shouldn't have yelled at you."

Cathie's mouth gaped open as she tried to process Ali's apology. Ali didn't seem like the girl who was sorry for anything. "It's alright," Cathie finally managed to say.

"So Rick, you seem to know what's going on around here, tell me more about it."

"What do you want to know?" Rick asked.

"Well, first of all, how come I haven't heard of people going missing every other week, besides the ones caused by me?" Ali asked.

"Because they have no need to snatch people often; they're not allowed to kill us here."

"Really?" Cathie asked, relieved.

Rick shook his head. "No, in fact, they get punished if they do."

"So can _we_ kill _them_?" Ali asked.

What little color there was in Rick's face drained as his red eyes widened in surprise. "Why would you even think that? Do you know how hard it is to kill them?"

Ali just shrugged, as if it is no big deal. "No, but I probably could get the job done."

"If the hunted kills the Hunter, than the hunted is killed on the spot," Rick answered.

"Good to know, then," Ali said.

Obviously satisfied with what she has learned, Ali moved away from the cage and curled up in a corner. Cathie watched her, surprised at how fascinated she had become by her. Ali was the strangest person she had ever met; she was part alien and thought that made her a monster, and she helped people to make up for it. Cathie blinked and turned away, Ali was fascinating, yes, because Cathie had never met anyone like her, but the reminder that she was dangerous continued to ring in Cathie's head. She moved into the back corner of her cage too, pulling her legs up close to her body and laying her head on the hard ground. After all that had happened to her today, she was convinced that she wouldn't be able to get to sleep. But even as she thought that, her eyes started to droop and she eventually fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Cathie awoke with her legs curled up underneath her, searing in pain from having been in the same position all night. Stretching her legs out and wincing as the blood rushed through them, sending pins and needles shooting up painfully, she noticed the pile of food at the front of the cage, by the door. It surprised her that the Yautja were able to move silently enough not to wake her. The next surprise came when she noticed that the food, while unpleasant looking, was recognizable; they must have had humans here a lot if they knew what to feed them. She looked over in Ali's cage and found her pacing back and forth along the front of her cage, like the caged lion at the zoo Cathie had visited when she was a child. To her left was Rick's empty cell.

"Where's Rick?" Cathie asked, shattering the silence.

"They took him a while ago," Ali answered.

"What does that mean?"

"To hunt him, I guess."

Ignoring the food, Cathie walked over to the bars between her cell and Ali's. She was still curious about her and hoped to learn a little more about her.

"I know you said before that you would only tell me about yourself if I told you about me. But there really is nothing to tell," Cathie started.

Ali stopped pacing and looked over at Cathie. "If you really want to know, ask me something."

"Where'd you come from and how'd you get like this?"

Ali looked away.

"Please?" Cathie begged.

Ali threw Cathie a look that chilled her to the bone. "I should warn you, if you know the truth about me, I will be forced to lock you up when we escape."

"You're thinking about escaping?" Cathie asked, choosing to ignore what Ali had said about locking her up, for the time being.

"Of course, you didn't think I'd stay here, did you?"

"But, how'd you plan on doing that?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure something out. When that Rick guy gets back, he's going to be answering some questions about this place, I'll see if I can figure out a way to get out of here."

No sooner had she said that, when a door off to our right pounded open. Ali and Cathie both whipped their heads as two Yautja moved down the hallway.

"That was fast," Cathie said quietly to Ali, but Ali shook her head.

"It's not Rick, they're two other people," she said.

Sure enough, as the Yautja came closer, Cathie could see two people dragging behind them. They moved past her and Ali and put the humans in two cages on the other side of Ali. Ali watched the Yautja with narrowed eyes as they moved back in front of her cell. To Cathie's surprise, they stopped in front of Ali and looked at her slowly. There was a brief conversation between the two of them before they continued walking.

"What do you think that was all about?" Cathie asked.

"They're sizing me up, they're trying to decide when would be a good chance to start hunting me."

"You know all that?"

"It's obvious," Ali said. She then turned her gaze from Cathie and looked towards the new humans that have been brought in. "So, what's a hunt like?"

Cathie peered around Ali to see that the two people who have been brought in were a man and a woman. Their clothing was tattered and dried blood was caked to their fronts. Scars and bruises covered their bodies.

"It's the most horrifying thing imaginable," the man said.

"I have a pretty big imagination."

"They stalk you like an animal and taunt you, trapping you and laughing while they do it," the woman added.

"What are your names?" Cathie asked.

The woman looked over at Cathie and she was shocked at the glazed and dead look in her eyes. "Names are meaningless in here, once they break you."

"How long have you been here?"

"Lost count many years ago," the man said.

Cathie stared at them in shock. They looked back at her with empty eyes. Unable to look into those empty eyes anymore, she moved away, but there was no way to force the thoughts that that was what she would be like in the years to come.

"Ali," Cathie found herself saying.

Ali turned her gaze to Cathie slowly. "What?"

"I want to come with you, when you escape."

"Escape is impossible," the woman answered in her dead voice, "You would be killed on sight."

Ali glanced back at the woman, her eyes narrowed, before turning back to Cathie. "And why would I take you with me?"

"Because you said that you protected the innocent!"

"So?"

"Well, I'm innocent!" I replied.

"True."

"So you'll let me come?"

"It depends, will you tell me your secret?"

Cathie shook her head. "There is nothing to tell, I don't have any secrets."

"Fine, I can live with that for now, but you shouldn't try hiding it for too much longer; I'll figure it out eventually." Ali stared Cathie down before finally saying, "When Rick gets back, we'll start planning."


	5. Chapter 5

Cathie paced the front of her cell anxiously, she was alone now. It had been three days since Rick was taken from his cell and he was still gone. They must have come and taken Ali in the night, for she wasn't in her cell in the morning either when Cathie woke up. The man and woman in the other cells weren't much company, as they lay in the corner of their cells, eyes empty and dead. Suddenly, the doors opened and a Yautja came in, dragging someone behind him. Cathie knew it was Rick when the Yautja stopped in front of his cell and threw it open, tossing Rick inside. Rick hit the ground and groaned, dragging himself into the corner.

"Rick? What's wrong?"

Rick shook his head slowly and turned his back on Cathie. As he did, Cathie let out a gasp as she caught sight of the long, fresh gashes across his back.

"What did they do to you?" Cathie asked.

"It was one of their weapons, I couldn't avoid it."

"But—I thought you said that they couldn't hurt us."

"I never said that, I said that they couldn't kill us."

"So they're allowed to beat us to a pulp?"

Rick nodded. "As long as we can recover from our injuries."

"So what's up with them?" Cathie asked, gesturing to the two other prisoners, "Were they beaten so badly that they were broken inside?"

Rick glanced over my shoulder to stare at the man and woman. "They've been here a long time; longer than me. They're way past their prime."

"What does that mean?"

"It means the hunt is no longer fun, all they do is cower when the Yautja come, they don't fight or anything."

"Is that what I have to do? Fight back?"

"Yeah, if you want to last longer."

Cathie shuddered and moved into the farthest corner of her cell, wrapping her arms around her legs. This was the worst thing that could have happened to her, she wished she had never left the house that late, she wished she had never chosen to run down that alleyway. But that wasn't going to get her out of here now, Ali was her only hope now of escaping.

"Oh, by the way, I'd get prepared if I were you," Rick said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're already been here for a while and haven't been hunted yet. I bet when you wake up, you'll be out there."

"What's it like out there," Cathie asked. A thought had suddenly occurred to her, "Do they breathe normal air like we do?"

"No, they need a lot more oxygen than we do, but the area where you'll be hunted is suitable for most of their prey to survive," Rick said, "They wear their masks when they hunt, so they made the air breathable for us."

"Do I get any kind of weapon, or something, to possibly defend myself with?" Cathie asked.

Rick shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, because if we did have a weapon, we could kill the Yautja hunting us, however, if we steal a weapon from the Yautja we're allowed to use it for a while. Oh, by the way, you want to be on the lookout for other prey."

"What does that mean?"

"They don't release one person or prey at a time, there's at least ten hunts going on at the same time. You want to be on the lookout for other prey because, sometimes, the prey are almost just as vicious as the Yautja."

"Oh," Cathie sighed, "Great."

It was then that Rick noticed Ali's empty cage. "Where's Ali?"

"Being hunted I guess," Cathie replied, "She's been gone for about two days."

"I have a feeling she'll be gone for a lot longer."

"Is there any chance of escaping this place?" Cathie asked.

Rick looked at her with a look of absolute shock. "What could possibly make you want to try and escape?"

"Ali said that she's going to find a way," Cathie answered.

"Well don't try it, it's impossible! First of all, the hunting grounds are surrounded by a massive fence and all the exits are monitored closely, second of all, the Yautja would kill you on sight the second they figure out you're planning on escaping."

"But could it be done?"

"I don't know! No one has ever been stupid enough to try it!"

"Then wouldn't it make some kind of sense that they wouldn't be as protective of the exits; if no one has tried it, why would they be concerned about the matter?"

Rick was now looking at Cathie as if she had grown another head. "Stop thinking like that, it's absolutely impossible."

Ending it at that, Rick turned away from her again and lay down. Cathie sighed, knowing that she was just going to have to wait and see what would happen.

* * *

The next morning, Cathie woke up slowly, and instantly noticed something was different; the air was hot and humid and there was a dead silence over the area. She opened her eyes slowly and saw that she was lying in the middle of a dense jungle-like area. She lifted her head slowly and strained to locate where she was. She had obviously been released on the hunting grounds and she was again surprised to realize how quietly the Yautja move. She got to her feet slowly and spun a slow circle, taking in her surroundings. The jungle looked like any ordinary jungle, maybe a little hotter, but other than that, she would have thought she was on Earth.

It was scary, how quiet it was, and Cathie remembered what Rick had said about other creatures being released to be hunted at the same time. She prayed that she won't run into any of them.

Cathie thought about what Rick had said about hunting and how the first few days were just tracking. She deduced that moving would better her chances, so she picked a random direction and started moving.

She eventually came across a river and she stopped for a break. The water looked clean enough and she dropped down to take a drink. She didn't know how long she'd been running, but the air felt like it has gotten heavier and she was finding it difficult to breathe. She was grateful that she had yet to run into anyone or anything. However, she wondered where Ali was; there was a slim chance that she had been released in the same area as her. A sharp sound sounded nearby and she looked around quickly to see if anything was there. Growing worried, she started running again.

Cathie ran for a few more minutes before;

"Hey."

Cathie screamed and spun around, nearly falling over as the momentum in her body shifted, and tried to locate the sound of the voice. Someone laughed.

"Who's there?" Cathie asked.

"Up here."

Cathie looked up and saw a figure squatting on a nearby tree branch. She took a few steps closer to get a better look and got a surprise when she recognized Ali.

"Ali!" she called out, excited that she wasn't alone anymore.

"Shh," Ali said, her gaze stuck on something in the distance.

"Why?" Cathie asked, whispering.

A small grin forming, Ali asked, "You ever hunted before?"

"What?"

"It's a wonderful feeling, when your victim wanders around without a clue in the world that you're standing there, watching them."

Cathie shuddered. "How would you know that?"

"Because, I've known the thrill of hunting someone."

Ali's gaze stayed on something in the distance and Cathie followed her gaze. "What are you looking at?"

"Your hunter."

"What makes you think he's hunting me? He could be hunting you."

"I've already run into the one hunting me," she smiled at the memory, "He was just testing me, but—"

As Ali's voice trailed off Cathie's eyes drifted to an object in Ali's hand. It looked like some kind of ceremonial knife, but it couldn't be hers; she didn't have it when she was taken. She must have taken it from the Yautja that attacked her.

"Anyway," Ali was saying, "I know this one is hunting you because he's been following you since you got here."

"What? How would you know that?"

"Because _I've_ been following you ever since you got here."

"You've been following me?"

Ali chuckled. "You are really slow with these kinds of things, aren't you—?"

Ali cut off, her eyes narrowing as she stared at something ahead.

"What is it?" Cathie asked.

"I'd run, if I were you."

"Why?"

"He's on the move."

Cathie's eyes flew around, trying to see what Ali was seeing, but nothing moved. Her breath quickened and she staggered backwards.

"Stop worrying," Ali said, "He's not going in for the true hunt right now. He'll do what happened to me; he'll test you, see where your weaknesses are, where you're vulnerable. Then he will move back and wait before going in for the final attack."

"Why do you know so much?"

"Because, that's what I do when I'm hunting."

Ali finally looked at Cathie and her eyes were glowing with excitement. She wanted to hunt like the Yautja and she got a thrill out of watching them prey on others. Cathie turned and ran, hearing Ali's laughter chasing after her.


	6. Chapter 6

Something whizzed past Cathie's head and she ducked instinctively. She heard a _thunk_ and looked to see a disk with sharp edges buried deep in the trunk of a tree. The projectile had been close which meant Ali had been right; the Yautja wasn't trying to kill her, it was only testing her, trying to get a reaction from her.

If it wants a reaction, I'll give it a reaction, Cathie thought to herself and she turned around to face the woods behind her.

Nothing moved or made a sound. Suddenly, the branches high above parted and Cathie could just make out a blurry outline as it slammed into the ground. The Yautja rose to its full height as the cloaking hiding it melded away. Cathie stood her ground, waiting for the Yautja to make the first move. However, the Yautja only growled in that low clicking sound that Cathie was beginning to familiarize herself with. When the Yautja still hadn't moved, Cathie made up her mind. She mentally prepared herself for what would happen before launching herself forward, straight at the Yautja. The Yautja waited until she was within a couple of feet before dropping into a low crouch and swinging its arm toward Cathie. At the last second, Cathie realized the Yautja's arm was armed with two sharp spikes and she quickly ducked to avoid the blow.

The ground was hard when she slammed into it, catching her off-guard and sending all her air shooting out of her in a great _whoosh_. She rolled to her side to avoid the second attack and the Yautja's blades sank deep into the ground. The Yautja roared and ripped its blades free, sending dirt flying. Cathie backed away so that she would be out of range of the blades, but the Yautja didn't seem fazed. Instead, it rose smoothly back into a standing position and towered over Cathie. What happened next went so fast that Cathie barely had time to react. There was a soft whirling sound as a small device on the Yautja's shoulder extended out and aimed at her. Cathie jumped out of the way as a loud explosion split the air. The shock wave blasted her in the side and she was flung into a tree. Her shirt was now spotted with holes as sections of the material were burned away in the blast.

Now, the only thought running through Cathie's mind was 'get away'! The Yautja watched, head cocked slightly to the side, as if waiting for Cathie to run. However much she wanted to stay and face this hunter, she knew it would only lead to her getting injured, making her easy pickings for the next time it showed up. So she did the only logical thing she felt she could do, she ran.

The sound of stomping behind her told Cathie that the Yautja was giving chase and she tried to urge her legs faster. An idea flashed through her head and she decided to roll with it before thinking it through. She quickly checked her surroundings and turned sharply to the left, cutting in a new direction. The Yautja roared, but continued to give chase, its stomping growing louder as it gained on her.

Just a little further! Cathie begged her legs. Her lungs were starting to burn and it felt like she was breathing in fire with each breath she took.

The sound she had been waiting for finally reached her ears and she grinned, forcing another burst of energy to carry her just far enough. She finally burst through the trees and reached a flat, open area. While it seemed like the worst possible thing to do when being chased, her true goal stood before her; the river. The hidden current caused small disturbances on the surface of the river, merely little waves and bumps in the water. Cathie smiled when she saw it and she took the several strides necessary for her to reach the water's edge. A loud crash from behind warned her of the Yautja still in pursuit and before she could back out of her plan, she plowed into the water.

The water was cold as it splashed up Cathie's legs as she moved further into the water, but it was a welcoming cool as the humid air and running had caused a layer of sweat to cover her body. When the water was up to her waist and the current was beginning to tug at her, the Yautja finally broke through the cover of trees. Cathie stared at it as it came to a halt and it stared back. The Yautja cocked its head to the side, as if curious, not expecting this kind of maneuver.

"I bet you can't swim," Cathie cried boastfully at the massive Yautja.

The Yautja only stared at Cathie and she didn't give it a chance to recover from its confusion, she launched herself backwards and into deeper waters. The current caught on to her quickly and she was pulled away, the Yautja quickly shrinking into the distance.

Cathie wasn't sure how far the current had carried her when she finally crawled on land, dripping wet and exhausted. The forest was still all around her, no sign of anything lurking in the shadows or waiting for her in the trees. She wasn't sure how much time she had bought herself by running away from the Yautja, but she hoped it was enough for her to figure out another plan. Right now, however, all she cared about was finding a hiding place to rest up and perhaps dry off. Sighing, she forced herself to move to the line of trees, but before she could reach them there was a loud crash from within.

Panicking, afraid the Yautja had been able to follow her after all, Cathie scuttled behind the nearest tree. There was a loud cry that sounded like a cry of pain, but it was hard to tell if it was human. The trees parted as two creatures locked in a tense fight rolled out into the open and moving dangerously close to the river. One was defiantly a Yautja, but the other was smaller, maybe a human. The human suddenly seemed to gain the upper hand and the Yautja was flung onto its back. The human wasted no time and was on top of the Yautja in a heartbeat. There was only one person that Cathie knew of who could move that fast.

"Ali!" she called out.

"Still alive, I see," Ali answered her, not taking her eyes off the Yautja underneath her.

Cathie nodded, but then realized Ali wasn't taking her eyes off the Yautja so she shouted back, "Yeah."

"Well, that's a relief," Ali said, although her tone suggested she couldn't care one way or another, "How was the fight with your hunter?"

"I ran away."

"Always a brave thing to do."

The Yautja beneath Ali seemed to have recovered from her surprise move and the blades on its wrist extended to their full extent. Ali ducked and the weapon sailed over her head, missing it by inches. However, she soon lost her balance on top of the Yautja as it rolled to throw her off.

"Any time you want to join in," Ali said, finally taking her gaze off the Yautja to stare Cathie down, "it would be greatly appreciated."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Distract him."

"How?"

"Think of something!" Ali screamed.

Cathie looked around for something that could aid her, a sharp stick or a rock. Meanwhile, the Yautja pulled out a bladed disk and flung it at Ali. She avoided it with ease, but wasn't expecting the device to suddenly turn in mid-air and fly back at her. She was struck in the shoulder from behind and she went down, her blood splashing across the ground. By then, Cathie had found a medium sized rock and she picked it up and hurled it at the Yautja. It struck him in the back with hardly enough force to cause any real damage, but it did what she had been hoping for and made the Yautja look around. That was all Ali needed to draw the knife from a makeshift belt she must have made using vines and jab it deep into the Yautja's calf.

Bright green blood ran down the Yautja's leg as it roared in pain. Ali was once again on her feet and, with a mighty push, sent the wounded Yautja toppling into the river.


	7. Chapter 7

Cathie waited until the Yautja had been swept down the river and out of sight before coming out from behind the tree. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Ali was clutching her shoulder as dark blood spilled over her fingers and dripped onto the ground. Cathie's eyes widened when she saw the ground sizzling in the places where Ali's blood had spilled.

"What—"

"That's one of the things that make me part alien," Ali explained, her voice was strained.

"You're in pain!" Cathie exclaimed, hurrying over to Ali.

"I'm fine," Ali insisted.

But Cathie shook her head. "You're not immortal, Ali! That needs attention!"

"What do you suggest?" Ali snapped, "Rip off a strip of your shirt and bandage it up? I have _acidic _blood! It'll burn right through it!"

"Well it's getting dark, maybe we should find a place to wait out the night," Cathie suggested.

Ali seemed to think for a moment before nodding her head. "Fine."

Cathie smiled, but Ali only turned her back and walked into the trees. Cathie sighed and followed after Ali. She wanted to ask where Ali was planning on resting, but was afraid of Ali's wrath. Finally, when it appeared that Ali was in so much pain that she couldn't walk anymore, she collapsed in a small clearing.

"I'll get a fire started," Cathie said.

Ali didn't answer, which Cathie decided to take as an 'okay' so she wandered in a close radius to the clearing, gathering firewood and kindle. When her arms were full, she returned to the clearing to find Ali leaning weakly up against a tree, her breathing labored.

"Please," Cathie insisted, "Let me look at it after I've started a fire."

Ali glared at Cathie, but looked like she wasn't in the mood to argue, so she only nodded weakly and leaned her head back against the tree. "Do you know how to start a fire?"

"Um, I think so," Cathie said, "I'll figure it out."

"You might want to do that before it is totally dark."

"I know that!" Cathie grumbled.

However, it wasn't until darkness had fallen before she finally managed to get a spark after fervently rubbing two sticks together. Once the fire had reached a decent size, large enough to see by, but not enough to cause any unwanted attention, Cathie turned her attention to Ali. The wound had already stopped bleeding and seemed to show the beginning stages of healing and Cathie refrained from questioning how, she was pretty certain it had something to do with Ali being part alien.

"It doesn't look that bad," Cathie noted, "I think the bleeding stopped so if you want, I can bandage it."

Ali didn't answer, only gave a stiff nod. Cathie ripped off a strip of her shirt and set to work bandaging up Ali's arm. While she did, she couldn't help but wonder if asking for help was unusual for Ali and if she would rather try to figure out a solution for herself than depend on the assistance for others.

"There," Cathie said, tying the ends of the torn fabric in a tight knot, "That should hold for a while."

Ali looked down at the bandaging then up at Cathie. "Thank you," she said, rising to her feet.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Hunting for food."

"You've hardly recovered! You can't go hunting!"

"Wait here."

Before Cathie could even respond, Ali vanished into the darkness, seeming to become one with the shadows. Alone, Cathie gazed around the darkened forest. It was so much creeper than in the day time, not to mention the odd sounds of the night that didn't sound anything like the nights back home.

After several minutes of waiting alone, Cathie began to grow troubled. Ali was still hurt, what if Ali got hurt even worse? What if she had been captured? Those questions kept circling around her head and she started to panic. What if she was next? Cathie was so tense that a sudden noise nearby caused her to nearly jump out of her skin and she gave a small squeak of terror.

"Didn't scare you, did I?" Ali's voice condescended. She reappeared, melding out of the shadows, something flung over her should.

"N—no," Cathie stammered, "These woods just creep me out."

Ali dropped whatever it was she had been carrying down and crouched over it. On closer inspection I realized it was some furry kind of creature that was about the size of a dog. Ali pulled out the knife she had stolen from a Yautja and sliced the creature's stomach open. Blood and guts spilled out onto the ground and gave off a foul odor.

"Ugh!" Cathie had to cover her mouth to keep from gagging. "What is that?"

Ali glared up at Cathie. "How am I supposed to know? It was slow, I killed it, what more do you want to know?"

"I would like to know what I'm about to eat," Cathie insisted.

Ali only rolled her eyes and went back to work slicing off large sections of meat. She then used the knife to scrape off the creature's hair until the meat was bare. She then handed the hunk of raw meat to Cathie.

"Um, can't you cook it or something?"

"Raw meat is better for you, especially when it's a matter of survival," Ali said.

Cathie sighed and took the meat from Ali. The blood ran through her fingers and over the back of her hand, sickening her with its smell. However, she refused to eat it raw. Ali didn't comment as Cathie searched around for a long stick that she could use to hold the meat over the fire. Ali had already torn into her piece, blood dripping down her chin and making her even more fierce-looking. She ate with complete animal-like mannerisms, from the way she ripped the pieces of meat, even the way she was crouched made her look like some humanoid creature.

Cathie forced her gaze off Ali and back to the meat she was trying to cook. It hadn't changed colors or give any other indication that it was cooking. The smell was still there, if not stronger than before, and it was starting to make Cathie nauseous.

"Do you want to survive?" Ali asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You asked me to take you with me when I escaped. If you expect me to honor that wish, you are going to have to listen to me and trust me."

"How can I trust you, I really don't know that much about you. And besides, what do you know about surviving?"

Ali smiled after taking a bite so that blood ran down her chin. "I know a lot more than you do."

"And what makes you so sure?"

"I know that you probably haven't had to survive on your own in a while, seeing as you live in a house with at least two other people."

Cathie's mouth gaped open. "How do you know that?"

"Because that was when your attacker started following you; when you left your house that night."

"You were following me?"

Ali shook her head. "I was following that creep who attacked you," she explained. "That's how I work; I target a potentially threatening individual, follow him around and see what he does. When he attacks, I intervene."

"So you don't know if the person you're following will attack anyone. What happens if someone else gets attacked while you're watching some other person?"

"I am usually right 99% of the time. And for the cases where I target the wrong person, well, I usually hear the struggling and the screams and rush over to the area."

Cathie was speechless. "How do you know what an attacker looks like?"

"They are predators, I am a predator. I am able to sense it," Ali explained with a shrug of her shoulders, as if it was nothing special.

Cathie shook her head slowly, stunned. "Fine, if you're going to help me, I'll try to trust you."

"Good, now stop worrying about cooking it and just eat it raw," Ali said, already hacking off another piece and tearing into it.

Cathie pulled the meat closer to her and studied it with a wrinkled nose. The smell had dissipated slightly, but the overall appearance of the meat didn't appeal to her. With a sigh, she squeezed her eyes shut tight and took a bite. It was probably the worst thing she had ever tasted and she desperately wanted to spit it back out, but if she wanted to survive, she knew she was going to have to eat it.

Ali watched Cathie with calculation eyes as Cathie slowly tore pieces off the disgusting meat and tried to keep it down. "You fascinate me," she said suddenly.

Cathie swallowed, unsure as how to respond. "Thank you?"

Ali smiled. "If you knew more about me, you'd know how rare that kind of thing is. There are only two other people I have met that have fascinated me like you do now. They are usually the ones that have allied themselves with me."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember how I told you about this being the second time I was captured by Yautja, right?"

"Yes."

"I had help, from a girl. Her name was Amber."

"So what about the other person?"

Ali's eyes suddenly darkened. It was such a dramatic change that Cathie was taken by surprise from it. Ali looked away, obviously thinking back to a particularly dark part in her past.

"Well?" Cathie prodded as gently as she could.

Ali didn't answer immediately, rather, she rose to her feet and moved to the edge of their small camp, just along the edge of firelight. She crouched down with her arms wrapped around her knees. Cathie stayed where she was, figuring that Ali didn't want to talk about it.

"There are some sick people in our world," Ali finally said, her voice unusually soft.

"Um, what do you mean?" Cathie asked.

"There are those who see someone like me as only one thing; a weapon. And they'll do anything in their power to control someone like that."

It was starting to click. "What did they do to you?"

Ali rested her head on her knees. "They forced me to kill. Before then, I only killed because I had to, to protect people, but every time I did, I hated it. I felt that killing kept reinforcing what I already knew. But when I was a prisoner to those humans the real me finally came out; they truly made me into a monster."

"But, you're not a monster."

"Maybe not on the outside, but on the inside I'm a stone-cold killer. No matter how many times I say that I want to protect people, I know that's not the real reason I do it anymore. The real reason is that now, I like killing."

Cathie recalled the look in Ali's eye when she had been perched in the tree. The burning desire to hunt like the Yautja.

"I have been able to keep those urges suppressed behind a wall," Ali went on talking, "mainly because my Queen hated to see me like that. But, every wall has its weaknesses, that point where the slightest bit of pressure causes it to collapse."

Cathie could only stare at Ali in shock. "But—but you're not like that right now are you?"

Ali glanced over and her eyes caught the firelight again, glowing with an insane light. Cathie realized then that it wasn't just the fire, it was a burning desire deep in Ali's heart.

"I watched a strange, ugly creature cower in a corner of trees as a large Yautja bore down on it," Ali said, a strange tone in her voice, "Watched as it whimpered in panic and fear. And I never felt more alive."

Cathie's hands curled into fists as she fought the tremor running through her body. What would happen if Ali caught the smell of her fear? Would her instincts take over? Suddenly, Ali's eyes softened and she turned her head away.

"I'm scaring you. I am sorry," she whispered.

"I'm not scared," Cathie said, but her shaking voice said otherwise.

Ali chuckled. "You're shaking."

"I'll be fine!" Cathie insisted.

"Suit yourself. You can sleep, don't worry. I'll keep on watch."

"All night?"

"I don't need as much sleep as you would think," Ali answered.

"Alright," Cathie said as she curled up into a ball next to the fire. She rested her head on her arms and stared into the red-hot embers. Her eyelids grew heavy as sleep clawed at her mind, forcing her into a pit of terrifying shadows and a twisted human shape with glowing eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

When Cathie awoke the next morning, she was alone. The fire had burned down to a few pathetic, glowing embers.

"Ali?" Cathie called as she sat up.

She was answered by a sharp bird-like cry and the slight rustling of tree branches. Hugging herself, Cathie got to her feet and looked around. There was no sign of a struggle so she wasn't sure if Ali had been attacked. A horrible, sinking feeling slowly filled her chest; Ali had abandoned her! Probably sometime in the night. Probably hoping a horrible monster would eat her. Probably—

"Hey."

"Ali!" Cathie cried, spinning around as Ali stepped out from the tree line.

"What?"

"I—I thought you had abandoned me!"

Ali raised an eyebrow. "I'm not one to go back on my promises."

"Well, I—I just thought you didn't want me as a burden," it was then that Cathie noticed a gash on Ali's face that cut diagonally across the bridge of her nose. "What happened?"

This time, Ali laughed. "You are a really heavy sleeper! Didn't even wake up when this creature came into our little campout. I don't even know how to begin to describe it, but it looked like a giant, hairless rat and dog hybrid. Pretty vicious teeth, too!"

"You could have woken me! Not face it on your own!"

Ali laughed again. "I tried, but like I said, you are a very heavy sleeper! But it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"So," Cathie said, "What's the plan?"

"Staying alive."

"Well, what I meant was, are we just going to hang out here or are we going to move?"

"That depends; do you want to be a still target or a moving one?"

"Moving." Cathie didn't have to think about that one.

"Then we should be off," Ali instructed and without waiting for a reply.

"Wait, what about breakfast?"

"No breakfast," Ali said, disappearing behind a tree.

Cathie hurried to catch up. "But you said that we needed to keep our strength up!"

"You're not hungry."

"How would you—?" Cathie paused, full of surprise. Ali was right; she wasn't hungry at all. "What—?"

"That thing we ate last night, it takes a while to digest and helps keep the hunger down," Ali explained, "I've been living off them since I was released; that way I don't have to waste too much time hunting."

They walked in silence for a while, moving carefully through the thick trees and avoiding fallen branches and debris scattered across the ground. Every so often Ali would pause at a tree or at a patch of ground, studying it for any sign of the Yautja hunting them. If she did find something, she would send them in a different direction to avoid the hunter. Sometimes, they would come across signs of another type of prey, but they had yet to actually run into anything. The sounds around them weren't dangerous or threatening, but they were unlike anything they had heard before.

The longer they walked, the more Cathie sunk into herself. She wasn't sure how much longer she could last in this situation; how long she could hide the truth from Ali. As it was, Ali already knew something was different about her, something that differentiated her from other humans.

"Hey!" Ali shouted suddenly.

"Sorry," Cathie mumbled, backing up.

She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Ali had stopped and ran directly into her.

"Stop daydreaming!" Ali snapped.

"Why'd you stop?"

Ali pointed. "There's movement coming from over there, by that tree."

Cathie squinted in the direction of Ali's finger, but couldn't see anything for a moment, then, she caught sight of something shifting along the tree. "It looks small."

"I'm going for a closer look, you gonna stay behind and cower?"

Cathie glared, not happy with Ali always calling her a coward, and she followed closely behind Ali as she crept forward. However, as they got closer, they came across a surprise. There was no trace of movement or of anything. What had happened to the creature? They had been watching that spot the whole time, so what happened to it?

"Where'd it go?" Cathie asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, there was a sharp shriek and something fell from the tree above. Cathie screamed and dove to the side, afraid that it was some kind of Yautja weapon. Ali, however, seemed to be the target, and was unable to move away in time as the thing fell on her head. Cathie thought she was done for, but she was caught by surprise.

The thing turned out to be a black scorpion-like creature, except this creature was about the size of a small chihuahua and looked more like an upside down version of a scorpion. Its tail came down underneath its body, ending with a sharp barb. Its long, jointed legs held its body high enough so that its tail didn't get in its way when it walked. Its head spun around to stare at Cathie and it shrieked at her, showing off a set of vicious pincers. Ali, when she saw that the creature wasn't initially attacking her, reached up and plucked it off her head and held it out in front of her.

"What do you suppose it is?" she asked, cocking her head as she studied the creature in her hands.

"I don't know, but I say we toss it aside and get out of here," Cathie said.

The creature gave soft coos as it looked up at Ali. "It's kind of cute."

"Only you would find something here cute," Cathie rolled her eyes.

The creature responded with an angry hiss in Cathie's direction.

"Well, I'm keeping it," Ali said. She examined the creature closely, turning it over in her hands. "Do you think it's a boy or girl?"

"What difference does it make?"

"I want to make sure I give it the right name."

"Name?"

"Yes," Ali said, "I'm thinking Scorpios, is that too straight forward? What about Orion? I'm kind of into Greek mythology."

The creature hissed at the mention of the name Orion, as if disgusted.

"I don't think it likes that name," Cathie said.

"I guess that makes it a girl. But is Scorpios the right name?" The creature cooed in approval and Ali giggled. "I like her."

Cathie finally got to her feet and moved over to Ali's side to get a better look at Scorpios. However, the little creature spun its head around and belted out a vicious scream. Cathie took a step back.

Ali laughed. "Guess she doesn't like you."

Cathie tried to chuckle as the Scorpios gave another shriek. Ali smiled and allowed Scorpios to shift toward her shoulder where the creature perched comfortably.

"Let's just continue moving," Cathie requested.

"Fine."

Cathie was forced to either stay to one side of Ali or keep her distance in order to keep Scorpios from screaming at her. So far, Scorpios was the only other creature they encountered and Cathie was beginning to wonder if anything else was going to come. She was also finding herself growing more confident that they would go another night unscratched when Ali stopped and Scorpios' head spun around to stare as something off in the distance.

"Stay back," Ali commanded.

"No, I want to help."

"There are Yautja nearby and I think one of them is your hunter."

The blood drained from Cathie's face and her gaze shot toward the direction that Ali and Scorpios were looking. She could pick out something moving in between the trees and her heart quickened in response. She turned back to see that Ali and Scorpios had vanished.

"Ali?" Cathie asked.

She wished she had kept her mouth shut as something fast whizzed past her head and she ducked on instinct. The sound of heaving footsteps reached her ears and she desperately searched for a hiding spot. She didn't have enough time when the trees parted and two large Yautja appeared before her. Her mouth went dry and she started shaking.

Ali was still nowhere to be seen.

The Yautja stared at her, unmoving, for several seconds. Then, one of them stepped forward, its gun on its shoulder swiveling to face her. Fear held Cathie in place, fear that she would die right here and now despite what Rick had said. But, before the gun could even engage, something fell from the trees above. Cathie barely had time to register what it was before it landed on the Yautja's back and knocked it off balance.

"Ali?" Cathie gasped.

Ali looked up with a smile. "I almost burst out laughing," she said, "The look of terror on your face was priceless."

"I was _bait_?" Cathie nearly screamed.

Ali answered with a smirk before turning her attention to the Yautja underneath her. She ripped her stolen blade free of its holster and lunged it into the Yautja's shoulder. Bright green blood splattered her face as she twisted the blade, invoking a roar of pain from the down Yautja. By this time, the second Yaujta had gotten over its surprise and its fist smashed into Ali's chest, sending her flying backward.

It didn't give her a chance to recover before it was looming over her. Cathie wanted to do something, but every time she found herself standing in front of these predators, she froze up. And now, she could only watch as the Yaujta brought its foot up and slammed it down on Ali's arm. Ali's scream was worse than the sound of her bones cracking.

"Ali!" Cathie screamed, the feeling in her feet finally returning.

She started to run forward, forgetting about the second Yautja until its fist slammed into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. However, instead of attacking her immediately like the other Yaujta did to Ali, her Yautja attacker allowed her to catch her breath and get back to her feet.

"Ali?" Cathie called out.

When she received no answer, she turned her head to find the Yautja throwing an unconscious Ali over his shoulder and thundering away.

"No!"

Her world became a blur, followed by suffocating darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Cathie awoke slowly with her head pounding. She started to sit up, but had to lie back down with a hiss of pain as her stomach flared up in pure agony.

"Finally," a voice to her right exclaimed.

Cathie's eyes shot open and she jolted upright in shock. Her stomach ached again, but she was able to ignore it as she looked to her right. Ali was in the cage next to her. At first glance, she seemed okay, but a closer look revealed that the wound on her face had been reopened, a large green and yellow bruise covered the lower right side of her face and her left arm was in a splint. Still, she looked better than Cathie felt.

"You're in pretty bad shape," Rick said from his cage, confirming Cathie's suspicions.

"I feel like crap!"

"Just be glad you don't have a mirror," Ali added.

Cathie wasn't sure if she shared in Ali's optimism; she really wanted to know what the Yautja had done to her. She tried remembering the last few moments of the fight, but it had all been a blur when Ali was knocked out.

"So what happened?" Ali asked, "All I remember was my arm being broken and then my face getting smashed in." She worked her jaw back and forth, a sign that she was still in a lot of pain.

"I'm trying to remember," Cathie said, "It was a blur. But what about you, are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"But your arm—"

"Is already healing," Ali said, "It should be fine in a week or so. What happened to you?"

It came back to her slowly and in pieces. She remembered that after the Yautja had disappeared with Ali the second Yautja had turned its full attention to her. It had swung its fist and she had managed to duck underneath it, but that meant she was in line of its foot, which arced up and caught her under the chin. Pain blinded her and sent her into a panic. Her fists started flailing, landing several hits before the Yautja sent her flying again. When she blinked her eyes clear she saw that Ali's knife had been abandoned, still glistening with the Yautja's blood. She picked it up and wielded it in front of her. The Yautja paused, then its shoulders started shaking as it let out a gravely laughter.

The Yautja lunged. Cathie started swinging and slashing with the knife, getting lucky only twice. The Yautja seemed to grow impatient and balled its fist. Next thing Cathie knew, its fist was slammed down straight on her head, knocking her out cold.

Ali's eye brows rose higher and higher as Cathie relayed all she remembered. "You got beat up that bad from a fight like _that_?"

Cathie blushed. "I don't remember everything, okay? Some things are still a blank!"

Ali only laughed and eased herself onto her back. Something scuttled across her and came to rest on her chest. Cathie had almost forgotten about Scorpios.

"If it means anything," Rick added in, "I think you were very brave to face them like that, especially on your first hunt."

"Thanks," Cathie said.

Ali just rolled her eyes, a hand gently caressing Scorpios' back. Scorpios cooed happily.

"I didn't think you'd be able to sneak her in," Cathie said.

"She followed after me when I was knocked out. When I awoke in my cell she was sitting there, waiting." Ali's smile suddenly widened. "And I learned a little something about her."

"What?"

"I was curious to see what kind of venom was in her barb. So I tested it out on that woman in the cell next to me."

"You what?"

"Apparently the stinger initializes total paralysis," Ali ignored Cathie's outburst, "She has to attack from above or behind, but if she strikes right the victim can't move. Well, except to scream in terror for twenty minutes until she was dragged away by a Yautja guard. That's how my lovely scab got opened again; he wasn't very happy when he learned I was responsible for this."

"You were lucky it wasn't anything worse," Rick scolded.

Ali only laughed. "By the way, Rick, why don't you fill in Cathie with what you informed me?"

Cathie turned to Rick.

"Well," Rick started, "I was just saying that the Hunter's Moon is approaching."

"The Hunter's Moon?"

"Well, that's what I've been calling it. You've ever heard of a Hunter's Moon?" Rick asked Cathie.

"It's when the light coming off the moon is so bright you can see clearly by it," Ali explained.

"Right, it comes along once every few years because of the rotation pattern of the planet. To the Yautja, it's a pretty big deal."

"Why?"

"Because they release all able-bodied prey to be hunted for one night when the light of the moon is at its brightest."

"Okay, so what's the big deal?"

"It is also the only hunt that a Yautja is allowed to kill its prey," Rick explained.

"Oh my god," Cathie breathed.

Her chest tightened and her breathing hitched. Ali saw her reaction and started laughing.

"I told you she would react that way," she said with a chuckle.

"But—what—I—" Cathie started blundering.

"Calm down," Rick said, "It'll be okay. I've survived a ton of these hunts."

"But—"

"Trust me, it'll be okay."

"Because," Ali added, sitting up, "there is low security since the guards are going to want to join in on the fun. This will be the perfect opportunity to escape."

"I've offered to lead the two of you to the closest exit," Rick said.

"Wait, you're not coming with us?"

"No."

"But why? Do you want to die here?"

"I've been here for so long, Earth has probably become unrecognizable to me. My friends and family have probably already gotten over my disappearance; I can't just thrust myself back into their lives. No, I have no place in Earth."

Cathie started shaking her head. "You can't stay here! You'll die!"

"I'm normally not one to reach out, but I think Cathie has a point. Come with us."

Rick shook his head again.

"I'm not going to be able to fly a ship; I need someone who has experience in the Yautja language."

"Please, Rick!" Cathie pleaded

"Fine," Rick sighed.

Ali gave a triumphant smirk and lowered herself back to the ground. Cathie, also satisfied with Rick's acceptance, started poking and prodding at her face to see if she could get some inkling as to what her face most likely looked like. Her face wasn't too swollen, but it was tender to the touch and she could feel several cuts all over her face. Her hands moved down to her stomach where the Yautja had punched her several times. She almost yelped when her fingers brushed against the bruising. She most likely had at least two broken ribs.

"You should thank your lucky stars," Rick said when Cathie winced in pain.

"How can this possibly be lucky?"

"You won't be hunted again between now and the Hunter's Moon; they are going to want you at your best for the Hunt so they're going to let you heal from your injuries."

"Oh yes," Ali added in, the sarcasm evident in her voice, "Thank god that bastard broke my arm! I truly am the luckiest girl in the world!"

"Just shut up!" Cathie snapped, tired of Ali treating everyone else as inferior to her, "At least you'll heal quickly! Why do you always have to be such a bitch to other people?"

Ali glared at Cathie for a few minutes before rolling on her side, her back to Cathie, without a retort. Cathie blinked. She had been expecting some kind of verbal lashing or a demand to reveal her secret, she wasn't expecting the silent treatment. Maybe Ali wasn't used to someone standing up to her, or maybe she was in more pain than she let on.

"Ali? Are you alright?"

"Leave her alone," Rick said when Ali didn't reply, "It doesn't matter how strong you are, eventually, this place will swallow you up."


	10. Chapter 10

The first week went by too fast, leaving only one more until the dreaded Hunter's Moon. Rick had taken to pacing anxiously across his cell, a habit, he said, he developed before every Hunter's Moon. Ali continued to give both Rick and Cathie the silence treatment, occasionally shooting dark stares at Cathie whenever she tried to engage her. She had taken off the splint and would occasionally test her arm, clenching and unclenching her hand. The Hunt loomed over them in obvious ways, to the filling up of the cells all around them with worn out humans to the Yautja walking up and down the length of the cells, surveying the humans. Cathie always got the impression that they were sizing the humans up, as if to decide which ones would make for an interesting hunt. It always creeped her out.

Finally, when there were only four days left, Cathie couldn't stand it. "Ali! Please! We haven't made any plans at all! How do you expect to pull off an escape if you sit there in silence all the time?"

Ali didn't answer, instead, her head shot up and her body tensed. Cathie looked down the row of cells and saw three Yautja approaching. She was confused, two days ago the Yautja paroling the cells had started dwindling down and finally ceased. What were the three of them doing here now? The one walking in the center was different from the others; his mask was more lavish than the others, more decorated and scarred. He wore a flowing dark red cloak and carried an ornate staff. Cathie also saw instantly what had caught Ali's attention, one of the flanking Yautja was Na'sval.

"That's an Elder," Rick whispered to Cathie. There was fear in his voice and when Cathie looked into his eyes she also saw surprise.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

The Elder stopped in front of Ali's cell and gestured to the Na'sval and the other Yautja at his side. Na'sval stepped forward to open the cell door while the other Yautja stepped inside. Ali attempted to back up, but the Yautja caught her by her wrist and dragged her out into the hallway.

"What's going on?" Cathie demanded, but Rick wouldn't answer.

However, Cathie didn't need to ask again, the Yautja holding Ali forced her to her knees, twisting her arm behind her back to hold her in place. The Elder moved forward and gripped Ali's chin, forcing her face upwards. She struggled, but the Yautja's grip on her was tight. The Elder rotated Ali's face left, then right, studying her like a judge would a prize dog, then gave a satisfied growl.

"Rick, please tell me what's going on!"

Rick only shook his head, his eyes wide as he watched the Elder pull a small device that looked like a pen from his belt. The Elder pushed a button, causing the device's tip to glow bright orange. Ali started struggling again as the Elder moved back and gripped her face again with its free hand. Ali began screaming as the Elder pushed the tip of the device up against her cheek. The smell of burned flesh filled the air and Cathie felt herself gagging as the Elder started drawing a symbol on Ali's cheek. When it was done, the Yaujta tossed Ali back into the cell and Na'sval shut the door.

"I'm going to kill you," Ali whispered in a quiet voice. She hadn't moved from the spot where she landed, "I swear that when I find you out there I'm going to kill you."

It was no mystery to whom she was talking about and Cathie could have sworn she saw a shudder pass through Na'sval as he turned and stalked away. Ali watched Na'sval retreat before flying around to stare Rick down.

"What was that?" she demanded.

It was the first time she spoke to either of them in two weeks.

"I'm so sorry," Rick said, not directly answering Ali's question, "I think this is the first time a human has been marked. Usually it's a Hard Meat, or something else."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, Elders don't usually take part in these kinds of hunts; they'd rather hunt prey in their natural habitat, but every now and again one of them will take part in the hunt. The thing that makes them different from the other Yautja is that they mark their prey to ensure that they're the only ones that are allowed to hunt that particular prey."

"Okay," Ali said, shrugging her shoulders as if it was no big deal.

"You don't understand, whoever the Elder marks is dead by the end of the night."

* * *

As soon as they stepped outside the compound, Na'sval received the cold shoulder from the Elder and his companion. His shoulders slumped and he turned away, not even bothering to go the Pre-Hunt Festival. Even though Ali had been recaptured and his mistake had been reversed, he was still thrown dark glares and spoke of when the others thought he was out of earshot. The younger hunters, the ones who didn't know better, still looked up to him as an experienced hunter, but his fellow hunters, the ones he went to schooling with and rose through the ranks with, despised him for what he had done. Even his own mate gave him dark glances and would constantly remind him of the fact that they weren't mated for life.

"Na'sval!"

Na'sval glanced up, surprised that he was being addressed, especially by an Elder. He didn't respond, merely placed his fist on his chest and bowed his head, waiting for the Elder to speak.

The Elder didn't say anything for the longest time, finally he said, "Where you planning on taking part in the Full Moon Hunt?"

Na'sval shook his head. "No."

"Join me."

Na'sval's head shot up and he stared at the Elder in surprise, as did those who were listening in on the conversation. "Me?" he questioned.

"You were responsible for the ooman's release, now you will take part in her killing," the Elder said.

At that moment Na'sval knew the Elder wasn't including him because he had been redeemed, no, rather it was the opposite. This was further humiliation; he was to assist in the Elder's achievement of a trophy. However much he wanted to say no, however much he wanted to walk away, he knew that he couldn't refuse.

"Yes, sir," he said, bowing his head.

The Elder growled before turning his back once more and stalking away, leaving Na'sval alone once more to reflect on his mistake.


	11. Chapter 11

Cathie breathing was already starting to quicken as she looked left then right. She was starting to feel a deep panic rising up in her chest. The last thing Ali had told her before they were dragged off by the Yautja guards was to meet at the large weeping willow-like tree along the river, but how could Cathie be sure that the one she had come across was the right one? It had only been two hours since the Hunt had begun and she was starting to feel the beginning stages of panic. Screams, human and non, filled the air all around her as the Yautja got their fill of hunting. Cathie had managed to reach the tree without much incident, but had yet to come across any sign of Rick or Ali.

A sharp cry came from nearby, but this sounded more like a call than a cry of pain. Her head whipped around just as something dark and fast shot past her. She ducked behind the tree as the creature was followed closely by a Yautja hunter. The Yautja caught up to the creature, which began hollering in fear, and slashed down with its blades. Dull yellow blood splattered the ground as the creature's head rolled away from its body. Cathie covered her mouth to hide her gasp and squeezed her eyes shut. She waited in anticipation for the Yautja to notice her hiding and finish her off like the now headless creature, but the Yautja moved away after a short pause.

Cathie sighed and crawled out of her hiding place, relieved that she had narrowly escaped a possibly gruesome death, but froze when the same cry from before sounded louder. So it hadn't been the dead creature nearby after all, Cathie thought, but that meant that there was still something out there! The cry came a third time, this time, directly behind Cathie. Her heart racing, she turned slowly and came head on with an all too familiar face. The last time she had seen one of these creatures had been on Earth, when it had dragged her attacker into the shadows and killed him. This time, however, she was able to see more than just a few shiny teeth; she could see the creature's entire smooth head that curved back, the lack of eyes, the bony and black body, and a tail that ended in a wicked looking barb.

"An alien!" Cathie whispered. She recalled Ali saying something about these creatures being her family, but this was the first time Cathie actually saw what one looked like.

The alien hissed, baring its fangs at Cathie, its tail twitching in anticipation. Cathie took two steps back and the alien followed her. The more Cathie backed up the more she realized the alien was stalking her on purpose, enjoying itself. Just when Cathie couldn't take the cat-and-mouse game any longer the alien pounced with a shriek. Cathie screamed just as something dropped from above. The alien stopped in its tracks, hissing in confusion. It was becoming such a reoccurrence that Cathie didn't have to even think who it was in front of her, she just knew. The alien hissed in aggravation at the thing that came between it and its prey, but that didn't last long as it seemed to get a closer look at who was standing before it.

"You keep saving my life," Cathie noted dryly.

"Stop making it so easy, then," Ali answered as she raised her hand, palm up, toward the alien. The alien sniffed her curiously before bumping up against her hand.

"Where's Rick?"

"Don't know, we'll just have to find him along the way," Ali said.

"I'm right here," Rick said, coming into view.

"Rick!" Cathie exclaimed happily until she saw Rick clutching his shoulder. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing too serious," Rick said, "I think it just got dislocated."

Ali marched up to Rick's side and grasped his arm with both hands, pushing hard. Rick gave a shout and tried to pull away, but Ali was quicker and, with a sickening pop, pushed his arm back into place.

"Ow!" Rick cried, but then added, "Thanks." It was then that Rick noticed the alien off to the side. He paled at the sight. "What—what's that doing here?"

"Apparently getting to know Cathie," Ali answered.

"It's not coming with us, is it?" Cathie asked apprehensively.

"Yes," Ali said with a gleeful smile, as if the thought of mentally torturing Cathie appeased her. "Yes, he is."

It was then that Scorpios finally made her appearance, crawling around Ali's back to her shoulder. She looked up at the alien and he stared back. Finally, Scorpios cooed and jumped from Ali's shoulder to the alien's back, settling in comfortably between its dorsal spines.

"Um, well," Rick said, "It's good to see you back to normal, Ali."

"I was never not normal, I just chose to ignore the two of you while I thought of a plan."

"And what plan have you come up with?" Cathie was tired of arguing with Ali and felt it was just easier to let her have her way.

"Rick leads the way to the ships while I try to lure Na'sval into a trap."

However, that was too much for Cathie. "I will not risk _my_ life so that you can get revenge on Na'sval!"

Ali rolled her eyes. "Relax, my revenge is actually productive to our survival."

"And how's that?" Rick asked.

"You may know enough to fly the ship, but do you know where you're going?"

Cathie and Rick exchanged glances, that was something they'd never considered, how were they going to find Earth?

"But Na'sval already said he was done helping you," Cathie said.

"He's not going to have a choice. Why else do you think I tested Scorpios out on that woman? I wanted to ensure her poison wouldn't kill her victim."

Cathie blinked, Ali really had been working on a plan. "Alright," she said, "We'll do it your way."

Ali grinned. "Rick, lead the way."

The odd band hurried off, following the river, while the sounds of screaming and death surrounded them. Cathie grew more and more apprehensive, unable to shake the feeling that something horrible would happen if she remained with Ali, especially with her being marked by an Elder. Shuddering, Cathie tried to force those thoughts from her head, she knew she was better off with Ali than on her own, even if it did mean her secret coming out into the open.

"Scared?" Rick asked.

Cathie glanced up to find that Rick had moved back from the lead to walk alongside her. She hadn't realized she had fallen this far behind. Ali was now in the lead with the alien and Scorpios at her side.

"I'm not sure," Cathie admitted, although she made sure Ali was out of earshot, "This is a whole new experience for me. I don't know really know what to expect."

"Don't worry," Rick said, "I think Ali knows enough about what she's doing that we should be okay."

"How have you survived so long?" Cathie asked in amazement, "I just can't see myself lasting even one of these hunts."

"It's usually all about trying to avoid the Yautja instead of actually trying to engage them."

"He's here," Ali said suddenly.

Rick and Cathie looked up to find Ali standing alone, the alien and Scorpios had vanished.

"Who? Na'sval or the Elder?" Rick asked.

"Only Na'sval, as far as I can tell," Ali answered, "Wait here."

"No!" Cathie cried, "We're in this together."

Ali sent a glare back, but didn't retort back so Cathie took that as acceptance and she hurried to catch up to Ali. She saw Na'sval standing with his back toward them a short distance away. He seemed to be searching for something and Cathie had her money on who it was.

"What's the plan?" she asked, but Ali ignored her.

"Na'sval!" she cried instead.

Na'sval turned around, but seemed shocked when he saw Ali, as if he didn't want to find her. "You should run!"

"No, there's something I want to ask you," Ali said.

"I'm not helping you," Na'sval said, "I've already lost everything to you!"

Ali smirked. "Do you really have everything now?"

Na'sval didn't answer and Ali took his silence as a no. With an unseen cue, Scorpios pounced from out of nowhere and landed on Na'sval's back, right between his shoulder blades. Scorpios' pincers clinked as she stabbed her barb into Na'sval's back twice. Na'sval growled in pain and fell to his knees before falling on his back, Scorpios scooting out of the way just in time. Ali stalked slowly up to his side and crouched down. Moving slow, she set to work on getting the mask free, pulling the straps connected to the mask and then lifting the mask from Na'sval's face. She smiled down at her captive and Cathie caught a glimpse of that same glint in her eyes that night by the fire.

"Tell me how to get to Earth," Ali said in a deadly quiet voice. Na'sval didn't answer. "My friend here," Ali continued, the alien stepping forward, "will kill you if you don't help us. And it won't be fast either, he will make it slow and torturous."

Na'sval hesitated and his face scrunched up, as if dealing with an inner struggle, finally he began speaking harshly in a thick language. Rick leaned in closer to listen in as Na'sval continued rambling.

"Did you get all that?" Ali looked up at Rick when Na'sval had finally stopped

Rick paused as he committed everything Na'sval had said to memory. "Yeah, I think so. He gave me coordinates and instructions on how to program the ship's autopilot."

"Good," Ali said and she started to rise.

Na'sval's hand shot forward and latched on to Ali's arm. She looked down in surprise as he yanked her closer to him. The alien hissed and started moving forward, but Ali signaled him to wait.

"We can recover from the _zabin's_ sting quickly," Na'sval offered as way of explanation.

"I can see that," Ali replied.

Na'sval clicked his mandibles and jerked Ali closer so that her ear was right by his mouth. Cathie struggled to hear what Na'sval was saying, but he was speaking softly and fast. Ali's eyes narrowed as she listened until Na'sval finally released her. She straightened up and stared down at Na'sval for several seconds before drawing the knife that she somehow managed to hide from the prison guards. She looked from the knife to Na'sval, lost deep in thought, before raising the knife high and plunging it down into Na'sval's chest. Na'sval howled in pain but his cry was cut off when Ali twisted the knife sharply, ending his life.

"What the hell was that?" Cathie demanded.

Ali pulled the knife free and stood up, returning the blade to the holster. "I gave him his final request."

"Of course," Rick said, "That makes sense."

"How does any of this make sense? Who would actually want someone to kill them?"

"Na'sval lost everything when he helped me and even though his mistake was corrected things never went back to normal for him. He couldn't take it anymore," Ali explained, "He wanted me to kill him so that he could gain his honor back."

"And how does this give him back his honor?"

"Yautja are all about hunting. Their whole life revolves around it which is why they collect trophies to show everyone else how many times they've hunted. But the most important honor is being killed in battle. It's a way of showing their strength and inability to give up," Rick said.

Cathie just shook her head in disbelief.

"Let's go," Ali said.

She didn't cast another look at Na'sval's body, but Cathie noticed the slump in her shoulders and the droop of her head. Even if Ali did hate Na'sval and swore to kill him, she had been through enough with him to feel saddened over his passing. It was just another sign that there was a shred of humanity in Ali after all.


	12. Chapter 12

Ali hadn't taken more than two steps when the alien and Scorpios began shrieking. Ali's head shot up and spun out of the way just in time to avoid a five bladed razor disk slicing through the air. It ended up grazing her shirt and tearing it, but didn't leave her with any physical damage. At first, Cathie thought it was the Elder, but the Yautja that uncloaked itself was just a regular hunter. Cathie didn't have a chance to feel relief as the Yautja pulled out two more disks, extending them to their full extent.

"Ali, look out!" Cathie cried.

Ali ducked as the Yautja released the disks toward her. The first one flew by, missing her, but the second flew closer and caught Ali in the shoulder. She went down, but bounced back up quickly, ignoring the blood running down her arm and burning her shirt sleeve away. The Yautja had pulled out a spear from a holster on his back, but paused, most likely catching sight of the mark on Ali's cheek, and took a step back.

"I guess this mark really does work," Ali commented as the Yautja turned and disappeared.

"That," Cathie said, her eyes on something behind Ali, "But it could also be because the Elder is right behind you."

Ali spun around and, sure enough, saw the Elder stood before them, towering over them. It started advancing slowly. The alien growled and pounced with a hiss. The Elder drew a spear, extended it, and drove it into the alien's chest without skipping a beat.

"No!" Ali screamed as the alien fell limp at the Elder's feet, dead, and Scorpios disappearing into the trees.

"Ali, no," Cathie said, but she was too late.

Ali threw herself at the Elder who did nothing as she slammed into it, sending the two of them rolling off, struggling and kicking.

"We have to help her," Rick said.

"Yeah, okay," Cathie said, but she was having trouble seeing.

The dizziness had hit without warning and she was struggling to hold herself up. She didn't realize it had been this long and panic was starting to rise in her chest, what was she going to do?

"Cathie?" Rick asked, his voice sounded muffled, "Are you alright?"

Cathie took several deep breaths and the dizziness started to clear. "Fine," she lied.

"Alright, then let's go."

Ali and the Elder had rolled quiet some distance so Rick and Cathie had to run to catch up. When they finally did reach them, Ali had managed to throw the Elder off of her and was currently brandishing her knife. Somehow she had managed to avoid receiving any injuries, but Cathie couldn't help wondering how long that would last. She moved forward without thinking to stand by Ali's side. The Elder paused as Rick joined the group, looking from face to face as if surprised that there were so many standing up against it.

"You realize we're going to have to kill him if we want to survive," Ali said.

Cathie and Rick nodded their heads, but Cathie was starting to have trouble again. The dizziness had come back and her legs started to shake. She had no idea if she was strong enough to fight, but she certainly wasn't going to let Ali know.

The Elder growled as both pairs of wristblades extended down past his fists. Next thing Cathie knew, Rick and Ali were running toward the Elder. They moved together, acting like they had planned their moves out ahead of time. At one point, Rick swung down low to scoop up a discarded disk and sent it flying at the Elder. The Elder, naturally, ducked but it had only been a distraction and had given Ali enough time to cut through the Elder's lower, unprotected midsection, nipping the flesh and drawing forth a line of bright green blood. The Elder growled in anger, but the wound wasn't deep enough to cause too much damage.

Without waiting for the Elder to make the next move, Rick and Ali, again without speaking, came at the Elder again. This time, Ali provided the distraction by rolling underneath the Elder to get it to turn around. That was when Rick made his move, grabbing onto the Elder's cloak and starting to pull on it. The elaborate chain that held the cloak in place was drawn back and the Elder began choking. Its hands flew up to try and relieve some of the pressure, but that left it unable to protect itself. Ali took advantage and, flying through the air, managed to impale the knife deep into the Elder's shoulder.

The Elder fell to his knees as bright green blood flowed freely from his shoulder. He let out a series of angry clicks and lifted his arm slowly, a small device on his wrist making a clicking noise. Next thing Cathie knew, Ali was being hurled backwards, screaming and slamming into a tree.

"Ali?" Cathie cried, forcing herself over to Ali's side.

Ali was struggling within the confines of a slowly restricting metal net. Cathie pulled desperately at the netting, but she only succeeded in scrapping her hands.

"What is this thing made out of?" Cathie cried.

"Help Rick!" Ali demanded, her voice strained as the net twisted tighter.

Cathie turned her attention away from Ali, who continued to struggle, and surveyed what was happening with Rick. The Elder was standing, but he was in obvious pain, and was trying to reach Rick, who was still holding on to the cloak and trying to avoid the Elder's sharp blades. Something moved along the tree directly behind the struggling figures, but it was only Scorpios. At that instant, Cathie realized the overall plan and she rushed forward to help Rick hold the Elder steady.

The Elder saw her coming and turned to face her which prevented her from reaching Rick. Unfortunately, Rick was caught off-guard by the sudden shift and ended up stumbling into the Elder's path. The Elder took advantage of that and slashed down with its wristblades. Rick screamed as the blades cut deep into his shoulder and his grip started to loosen. The Elder tried to rip his cloak free, but Rick managed to reclaim his grip and the cloak started to tear. As soon as part of the Elder's back became visible Scorpios launched off the tree and landed on the Elder's back, her stinger stabbing him again and again.

Rick let go as the Elder went down and grabbed another discarded disk. This time, instead of throwing it at the Elder, he used its growing paralysis to his advantage and ran up to stand directly in front of the Elder. With a ferocious cry, Rick swung the disk around and slashed at the Elder's throat. Bright green blood splattered across the ground as the Elder fell down, face forward, where more blood seeped across the ground in a florescent puddle.

"Is it dead?" Cathie asked, stepping closer.

"I think so," Rick replied, "That strike went pretty deep."

Rick suddenly groaned, the adrenaline probably finally dissipating, and fell to his knees, clutching his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Cathie asked. Since her gaze was still on the dead Elder, she only heard Rick fall, but she suddenly stiffened as a coppery smell filled her nostrils.

Cathie turned slowly to face Rick. He was kneeling on the ground, his hand clutching at his shoulder, which was currently gushing blood. Cathie's eyes widened as some of Rick's blood spilled onto the ground. Her breathing quickened and her hand quivered. The light of the moon floating above reflected off the blood, making it glisten. Cathie shakily looked up at Rick who was staring at her in terror and she knew the reason why. She'd only seen herself like this once before, but when she had lost control back then, she had her father standing by her side; there was no one here to stop her now.

"Cathie? What's going on?" Rick asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Cathie tried to resist, but she couldn't help herself. She growled and threw herself forward, her hands clamping down on Rick's arms. He cried out and tried to throw her off, but she was much stronger than him and held him still. Her lips parted and she felt the strange sensation of her fangs as they protruded over of her gums and past her teeth. Rick screamed when he caught sight of her fangs, but she didn't give him time to struggle before she sank them deep into his throat.

His blood was hot and savory as it gushed past Cathie's lips and down her throat. She moaned happily and bit down harder, eager to get more blood, vaguely aware of Rick's cry of pain. It had been so long since her last meal and she couldn't pull herself away, even when she knew she'd gone too far and Rick started to grow weak beneath her. Suddenly, in the middle of her meal, pain flared up in the back of her head, at her hair line and she cried out, releasing Rick. The moment her fangs pulled free of his neck, Cathie was flung backwards and collided with a tree. She got up slowly, groaning in pain, to see that her attacker was Ali.

"So," Ali said darkly. She stood protectively in front of Rick and was staring at Cathie with just as much hate as she shows when looking at the Yautja. "I guess I know what you are now. You're a vampire."


	13. Chapter 13

Cathie wiped the blood from her chin and stared at Ali. She was a mess; her shirt sleeves had been burned away into nothing, exposing grid-like wounds on her arms. The net was off to the side, still smoking, with a gaping hole that had provided Ali with her escape route.

"So you've figured out my secret. I guess I knew it was only a matter of time." Her senses had returned and now she could only look at herself with disgust.

"I'm surprised I didn't figure it out sooner. I guess your cowardice threw me off."

"Look—"

"You don't look so surprised, Rick," Ali interrupted, "Terrified, maybe, but not surprised. How long have you known Cathie was a vampire?"

Rick hesitated. "Since you asked Na'sval what she was. He called her a Thwei Kv'var-de."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means 'blood hunter'. It's the Yautja's word for vampire."

Ali's sharp gaze returned to Cathie. "Will Rick become a vampire?"

Cathie shook her head. "Since I drank his blood he won't change."

Ali gave a single nod, seemingly satisfied with that answer.

"Well, so now you know what I am. What are you going to do now?" Cathie asked, trying to make light of the situation, "Thrust a stake through my heart?"

Ali smiled. "It's a thought."

Cathie was taken by surprise, at first, thinking Ali was joking, but the look in her eyes told Cathie otherwise. "Why? What did I do?"

"You're a blood thirsty monster that kills people on impulse," Ali said.

"What about you? You've killed before."

"I've never killed an innocent person."

"Neither have I!"

"What about Rick? You almost killed him."

Cathie looked down at Rick. He was clutching his neck, but the blood was still spilling past his fingers and Cathie's body twitched. Ali saw the faint movement in her hands and took a step forward.

"You're a monster. You're worse than me!" she said.

Cathie shook her head to clear it. "This is only the second time I've ever lost control!"

"What happened the first time?"

Cathie hesitated. "I may have killed a few people, but my father was there to stop me before I did too much damage."

"And where is your father now?"

"Dead."

"What happens if you lose control again? You go on a killing spree and a lot of innocent people die."

"That won't happen!" Cathie said, shaking her head.

"I work hard on protecting people, you'll be too much trouble," Ali said, stepping closer to Cathie.

Scorpios scuttled across the ground and climbed up Ali's leg all the way up to her shoulder. She squealed, clicking her pincers at Cathie. Cathie started backing up, her hands rising up in a defenseless position. She thought she was done for when something stepped in front of her. By the smell, she knew it was Rick, but all she could wonder was why.

"Move," Ali demanded.

Rick shook his head. He still clung to his neck and looked shaky on his feet, but his voice was strong. "Just think about this for a minute."

"I've already made up my mind, so get out of the way."

"No."

Cathie sighed. "You don't have to defend me, Rick."

When she reached out to place a hand on Rick's shoulder, however, Rick flinched away. Cathie read the fear in his eyes and lowered her hand. Ali caught on to the fear too.

"Why are you protecting her?"

"We agreed, before we were released, that we would escape together," Rick said, "And that isn't going to change now."

"It is if I have any say in it."

"But you don't, you don't know how to fly the ship or what the coordinates for Earth are," Rick said.

Ali glared at him and, for a moment, it looked like she was going to demand Rick for the information, but all she said was, "Fine."

Rick, satisfied with Ali's answer, seemed to allow what little energy he had mustered up to stand up against Ali to simper away. He started to fall forward, but Ali was able to rush to his side and support him. She glared back at Cathie.

"He's lost a lot of blood," she said.

Cathie felt the guilt pouring into her. "I'm sorry—"

"Sorry isn't going to change anything," Ali snapped.

Cathie hung her head and followed behind slowly and silently.

* * *

"It's just over there," Rick said, pointing weakly.

They were standing at a line of trees. Between them and the large, unprotected fence to freedom was about 20 feet of open space. While they had been able to avoid any other Yautja, mainly from Ali's ability to detect them before hand and take a different route, they were at risk now. They would no longer be protected by the cover of trees and would be open targets to any predators nearby. Rick's condition had worsened as they travelled and was literally hanging from Ali's side. And now, after pointing out the exit, he had fallen into unconsciousness.

"Do we run?" Cathie asked.

Ali shook her head slowly, lost in thought. She squinted at the gate, judging their chances of making it and judging how fast they'd have to go. Scorpios's tail twitched as she scanned the area too, apparently she also knew the prognosis was bad.

"Even running, we'd still run the risk of being spotted," Ali finally said.

"Then what do we do?"

"Run."

"Are you crazy?" Cathie said, but when she looked to her left, she found herself staring at nothing. "Ali!"

Ali had already taken off running, moving with grace and speed despite supporting Rick's larger body. Cathie had to run at full speed to catch up and she was starting to feel lucky she was a vampire, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to catch up with Ali. By the time she caught up with her, Ali had already made it halfway across the field. And it wasn't until they had reached the point where it would be impossible to race back to the cover of trees did the shots begin firing.

Luckily, the sound of the weapon discharging gave them enough warning to get out of the way of the shot. Two Yautja's burst through the trees and gave chase, but they were far enough behind to not be a problem.

Ali skidded to a stop in front of the gate and handed Rick off to Cathie while she got a look at the locking mechanism.

"Na'sval never said anything about a lock," Cathie said.

Ali didn't answer immediately as she studied the lock. "I have an idea."

"What? What? Hurry!" Cathie pleaded, looking back at the gaining Yautja. One of them was starting to power up its weapon.

"Wait," Ali said.

She started to raise her hands, as if to work the lock, but, she suddenly ducked as the Yautja fired its weapon. Cathie jumped to the side, but the shot wasn't meant for her, it had been meant for Ali. When Cathie looked up, she was shocked to see the door of the gate swinging open, the lock black and smoking where the shot had hit it.

"Give me Rick," Ali said.

"I've got him," Cathie insisted.

"Do you want me to kill you right here?" Ali demanded.

Cathie sighed and handed Rick back over to Ali who then ducked through the open door and took off, forcing Cathie to once again hurry to keep up. While they were running Rick began moaning and his eyes fluttered open. Ali took cover behind a large piece of machinery, followed closely by Cathie.

"How do we get off this planet?" she asked Rick.

Rick looked around before pointing to a small space craft a short distance away. Cathie looked around for the Yautja hunters and found them scanning the area a distance away.

"We could make it," she said, "if we run."

"Then I suggest we run," Ali said.

Cathie made sure that she was ready when Ali took off, not going to be left behind for a third time. They reached the ship without being detected, but as Rick was dialing in the code to open the hatch, the Yautja caught sight of them and instantly began firing. The hatch moved slowly, causing Cathie to panic as the Yautja drew nearer.

"Hurry!"

"It's almost down," Rick said.

As soon as the hatch touched ground the three of them ducked inside. Rick pointed toward the front of the ship and Ali led him over there while Cathie worked at closing the hatch. A few of the blasts got through and Cathie ducked. Sparks flew as the blasts hit parts of the ship and Cathie hoped it wasn't anything important. The hatch finally shut, but there were still the sounds of strikes hitting the hull.

"Let's go!" Cathie shouted.

Ali had set Rick down in the pilot seat and his fingers were flying across the keypad. The ship began humming and things began lighting up as Rick hit more buttons. Finally, the ship started to shake and lift into the air, the sounds of shots from outside getting fainter and fainter.

"That's it," Rick said, leaning back, "I've entered Earth's coordinates and autopilot has been engaged."

He sounded weaker than ever. Ali checked him out, feeling his forehead and putting her fingers to his wrist. Her face grim, she eased him out of the chair and laid him on the ground. At this point, Cathie caught a clear view of Rick, noting how pale he was, and the guilt sank in again. Ali checked him over more before turning her harsh glare on Cathie.

"He's dying."


	14. Chapter 14

The ride was incredibly boring and long. The ship was small, probably meant for one Yautja pilot, and only consisted of the cockpit, the narrow hallway, and a small room toward the rear of the ship. Since the small room contained a flat surface that might pass for a bed, Ali claimed the room in order to look after Rick. And since Scorpios would scream at her every time she came anywhere near the back room, Cathie was forced to stay in either the hallway or the cockpit. Not that she was complaining too much, she'd much rather stay away from Ali and her accusing gaze anyway. She was afraid that if she was alone with her for too long Ali would try to kill her.

Cathie had been dozing off in the pilot's chair when the ship gave a sudden shake and the ride became a lot bumpier.

"What's happening?" Ali asked, appearing beside Cathie so fast she jumped.

"I don't know," Cathie replied as a schematics popped up on the screen, flashing unintelligible symbols, "There're no windows."

The ship gave another immense shake, knocking Cathie off balance and sending Ali to the floor. It got rougher and rougher, jarring Cathie's teeth to the point where they felt like they were going to fall out. Nausea claimed her, she had never been good with rollercoasters, and she closed her eyes, wishing the awful ride would just end. And it did end, it ended with a bone jarring crash that nearly sent Cathie into the screen in front of her.

"I think we've landed," she said, but she got no answer.

When Cathie opened her eyes she found herself standing alone, Ali was nowhere to be seen. Cathie sighed and pushed herself out of the chair and walked out into the hallway. The front hatch was already open, and Cathie was once again left thinking how fast Ali could move.

"Ali, wait up!" Cathie begged, running out the opening.

The second she stepped out onto the ground she dropped to her knees and touched the grass with her hands, needing to make sure that it really was there and that this wasn't a dream. It was night and they were in a large field, but Cathie still felt like she was home. She was so excited to be back on Earth that she didn't notice Ali kneeling a short distance away. When she finally did notice, she caught sight of Rick lying on the ground in front of Ali.

"Is he alright?" Cathie asked.

Scorpios, who was perched on Ali's shoulder, looked back at Cathie and shrieked at her accusingly. But when Ali looked back at Cathie she saw that the anger in her eyes had dissipated and all that remained was sadness. She didn't answer Cathie, but turned back to Rick. Cathie moved over slowly, ignoring Scorpios' growling. She kneeled down next to Ali and stared down at Rick. His breathing was shallow, his eyes twitching and fluttering beneath his closed lids.

"Ali?" Rick asked. His voice sounded so weak. His eyes opened slowly, but he couldn't focus. "Are we on Earth?"

"Yes, we made it."

Rick smiled and tried to take a deep breath, as if to catch the smell of Earth. "I never thought I'd see Earth again. I thought I would die on that planet."

"Don't worry, you're here. You'll never go back to that place again."

Rick's smile faded and his eyes closed slowly. He gave one ragged breath before going silent. Ali brushed her hand along his neck and gave a small sigh.

"He's dead."

She rose smoothly to her feet, lifting Rick's body into the air as she went. Cathie rose too. She wanted to turn and run, but she felt like she should at least watch Rick be buried, seeing as everything they went through together. She followed Ali stiffly, aware of two aliens materializing out of the darkness to walk alongside them.

"Where are we going?"

"To my cemetery."

"Well where's that? For all we know, we could be halfway across the state or the continent!"

"No," Ali answered, "We're basically in my backyard."

"But how is that possible?"

"Na'sval wasn't an idiot, he knew where I'd want to go so he gave the exact coordinates to bring us back home."

They walked for only a short distance before Ali stopped in front of a lake.

"Where are we?" Cathie asked.

"This is right by the city park," Ali said.

"You live this close to the city?"

"No, I live much farther, in the abandoned subway tunnels, but I come here to bury the bodies."

"What bodies?"

Ali shrugged. "Bodies from the people that die in the Hive or bodies of people that I kill on the streets."

Another alien stepped out of the shadows to join them and when he got closer, Cathie saw Ali burst into a smile.

"Hello, Hermes," she said.

The alien, Hermes, hissed lovingly and ran his cheek against Ali. Ali's smile brightened and she rubbed her cheek against Hermes, sighing happily. Scorpios and Hermes then exchanged sniffs before Scorpios scuttled over to Hermes's shoulder, settling herself in like she had done with the alien from before. Ali then turned her attention back to the lake. She waded into the water until it was up to her waist and waited for one of the aliens to follow. She handed Rick's body off to the alien and it slipped completely under, vanishing into the dark waters.

Ali stood still for a moment longer before turning and slipping forward gracefully back out of the water. Hermes and the remaining alien backed off, but stayed close.

"Now it's time to deal with you."

"_What?_"

"You thought I forgot, didn't you? You were hoping that I would spare you and let you go free. Well, I've kept my promise to Rick; we'd all get off that planet alive. And now that we're on Earth, alive, I get to finish what I started."

"You're really going to kill me?"

"Especially now that Rick is dead."

"I'm not going down without a fight and I plan to walk away from here alive."

Ali smiled darkly, the bloodlust evident in her eyes. "Finally! Prove to me that you're not the coward that I saved over and over again."

Cathie's courage was short live as she stared at Ali apprehensively, did she really have a chance against Ali? Even with a recent feeding? Yes, she could; Ali always underestimated her, thought she was weak, unable to cope with stressful situations. Well, she'd show her!

"Fine. But just remember, you brought this on yourself."

Ali smirked, but Cathie tuned her out. She focused on her vampire side, the part of her that she had always tried containing, and let it out. Cathie lifted her head, her fangs flashing, and noted that Ali's grin had turned to one of glee. Cathie recalled how every time Ali fought, she made the first move to ensure her chances of victory. Cathie planned on not giving Ali the chance and immediately shot forward. Ali took a defensive stance and waited for Cathie to come. But Cathie had a plan; she waited until she was almost on Ali before veering to the right and aiming an attack at Ali's side.

She gasped as Ali's hands tightened around her throat and flung her away. She gasped again as she slammed into the ground and all her air escaped her.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Ali said.

Cathie recovered quickly and pounced to her feet. She gave a growl and came at Ali again. This time, she kept her momentum going and waited for Ali's counterattack. Sure enough, Ali's hand once again tightened around her throat, but before she could fling her, Cathie latched on to Ali's arm. If the move surprised her, Ali gave nothing away, only sent her knee up into Cathie's stomach. Cathie tried to jump back, but Ali's hand was still around her throat, holding her in place. She doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach and trying to catch her breath.

"Please make this interesting," Ali said, her voice sounded different.

When Cathie looked up she saw that Ali's eyes were burning with excitement and bloodlust, more than she's ever seen. Cathie recalled what Ali had said about hiding her bloodlust behind a wall. Had that wall been broken? She tried to move backwards out of the way, but Ali's foot connected with her face and she was knocked to the ground. Now her face throbbed along with her stomach. She began feeling the doubt creep up inside of her, quenching the darkness within. Who was she kidding, thinking she had a chance against Ali?

If a Yaujta, born to hunt, couldn't win against her, what chance do I have? She wondered.

She kept her cheek pressed up against the grass, trying to will the pain away. Ali's feet came into her field of vision and she couldn't even find the strength to lift her head. She gave a yelp as Ali yanked her into the air by her hair.

"You're making this way too easy," Ali taunted.

Cathie growled, the darkness inside of her rising up again to claim her mind and senses. She threw herself at Ali, knocking her to the ground and pinning her hands. Instead of looking afraid, Ali started laughing.

"Finally!"

But Cathie no longer registered what Ali said, she could only focus on the slight pulse of a vein in her neck. Cathie's mouth watered and opened wide, she started quivering with excitement. Before she could think, she plunged her fangs deep into Ali's neck. She bit down hard, the vampire inside of her excited over Ali's scream of pain. Before she could take a drink, she pulled back, gagging and gasping in agony.

Ali started laughing, although the pain was evident in her voice. "Forgot my blood was acidic, didn't you?"

Cathie pushed off Ali and backed away. All of her senses had returned with that bite as she realized her horrible mistake. Ali rose to her feet slowly and rubbed her neck, looking down at the blood on her hand.

"You don't understand," Cathie said, "This is bad!"

"What do you mean?" Ali demanded.

"I just cursed you! I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking! I—"

"What. Do. You. Mean?" Ali demanded slowly, growing angry.

Cathie sighed. "I just bit you. Which means my venom is starting to work its way through your body."

"How is that possible? I thought you said biting a person doesn't turn them into a vampire."

"I did, but that only applied because I had drunk Rick's blood. You see, vampires' fangs contain venom, kind of like a snake, and when we bite someone, we infect them with our venom. When we drink blood we suck the venom back out so the person ends up unaffected."

"And since you didn't drink from me, that means I'm now affected with your venom?"

Cathie nodded. "I'm so sorry! I—"

"The venom wouldn't work, though, because of my blood," Ali said.

Cathie was aware of the desperate hope in her voice and she was confused; was Ali really worried about this? "I don't know. Vampires may not be immortal, but we heal a lot quicker than normal humans. It makes sense that our venom, since it is the route of vampirism, that it would be able to withstand your blood."

"Fix it!"

"I can't, there's no way to reverse the venom once it's started to spread. Once it reaches your heart you'll feel it and you'll start to change."

"Are you saying that I'll become a vampire now?"

Cathie shook her head. "Not exactly. It's hard to explain because it's different for everyone. Basically your bloodlust is going to increase, but I don't know what else is going to change."

Ali opened her mouth to respond but she didn't say anything. Instead, her face contorted in pain and she clutched her chest. She started gasping and fell to her knees. She groaned in pain and the hand not gripping her chest dug into the ground.

"I forgot to mention the transformation is painful," Cathie said, but Ali wasn't listening anymore as she begun going into convulsions.

This is my chance, Cathie thought. She started backing up, but froze when she heard the sound of hissing. She had completely forgotten about the aliens and when she searched for them she was shocked to only find two. Where was the one called Hermes?

Her inquiry was answered when she felt long fingers wrapping around her ankles and yanking her feet out from underneath her. She glanced over her shoulder to find Hermes standing waist deep in the lake—she hadn't been aware of how close to the lake she was. Hermes hissed and began walking backwards, dragging Cathie with her.

"No!" Cathie screamed, clawing desperately at the ground.

Hermes continued marching back slowly, dragging Cathie into the lake despite her struggles. She took a deep breath as her head was pulled beneath the surface and she was dragged down, down, down. The water made her movements slow and sluggish and she could only struggle weakly. She looked around as she was pulled down further, wondering how deep this lake actually was. At that moment the moonlight finally peeked out through a patch of clouds and shown down through the water. Cathie's eyes widened as the moonlight illuminated the dozens of polished white skulls that grinned all around her. Without thinking her mouth opened and she started screaming.

* * *

The fire that had spread through her body finally faded and Ali was able to get to her feet. Already she felt different; hungrier, more powerful. She walked over to the edge of the lake and looked down, a gleeful smile on her face.

"I think I could get used to this, if only I could have thanked her before she left," Ali said as several air bubbles broke the surface.

_Thank her for what?_ Tilda asked.

Ali quickly forced her feelings and thoughts behind her mental wall before Tilda could catch their vibe. Luckily, Tilda hadn't seen what happened earlier. _"Nothing,"_ she answered.

She lifted her eyes to the full moon above, her lips curling up into a devilish smile.


End file.
